How to set up your workspace to provide good posture and better back health

Sitting comfortably at work can be the difference between spending your hard-earned cash sipping sangrias on a sandy beach and shelling out to bask beneath the bright lights in the chiropractor’s office. Positioning your desk and chair correctly can help you to maintain a good posture, which will help you be more efficient at work and reduce the risk of long-term aches and pains.

According to UNISON, incorrect posture is responsible for back pain, the cause of 12 million working days lost every year. So, spending 10 minutes each week to ensure you’re sitting comfortably seems a small sacrifice.

Of course, the most important thing is to get the right desk and chair setup. You can read more about this in our blog ‘Are you sitting comfortably? Choosing the right ergonomic chair’.

With the correct ergonomic (highly adjustable) chair in place, it’s time to get it set up correctly.

• Ensure your desk or table is at an appropriate work height. The industry standard is 29 inches from the floor to the top of the desk. However, this height recommendation is based on using a pen and paper (believe it or not) and a keyboard should be placed just an inch or two lower than this. This is where an under-desk keyboard tray can be really handy as it enables your tabletop to be in the right position without compromising on your keyboard position. However, your keyboard tray should also be big enough to fit a mouse on too. If not, simply lower the tabletop an inch or two.
• Ensure your forearms are parallel to the ground and your wrist isn’t bent up or down when typing. Adjust your armrests so that your forearms rest lightly on the rests as they type.
• Get a large monitor and line the top of your monitor up so that your eyes are 2/3 of the screen height. This should enable you to keep your shoulders level and avoid hunching over – an exacerbator of back pain.
• Your knees and feet should be hip-width apart, and your feet should be flat on the floor, with your knees at a 90-degree(ish) angle.
• Adjust your chair so that the seat sits higher at the back and lower toward the front and your legs slope gently from the hip to the knee.
• Position your lumbar support to ensure the arch of your back is well supported.

Here is a useful video created by TechTalk that illustrates these positioning tips in an easily digestible video.

At Box15, we have ergonomic office chairs to suit all needs, in many different designs, sizes and colours. You can see our full range of ergonomic and standard office chairs here. Or, if you’d like some advice on finding the right ergonomic seat for your office, you can chat with us on our website or call us on 01295 565001.